Psychology of Terrorism

How and why does someone become a terrorist? How do terrorist networks adapt and evolve? How can we prevent online radicalization by extremist groups? Can virtual worlds be used to facilitate de-radicalization from extremist ideologies? These are just some of the questions asked by terrorism researchers at Penn State. 

Terrorism is a highly complex phenomenon about which there are no easy answers and no simple explanations. The study of terrorism involves multidisciplinary collaboration between such diverse disciplines as psychology, computer science, political science, anthropology, economics, and history. Understanding terrorist behavior also requires an understanding of terrorism at multiple levels — the individual, the group, the network, the organization, the culture and community, and the international system.